1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a water meter and to means carried by a turbine in the flow path through the body of the water meter by which to adjustably control the rate at which water is delivered from a source (e.g. a water service pipe line) to the turbine in order to produce a smooth, linear flow and thereby enable the volume of water flowing through the water meter to be accurately measured.
2. Background Art
Water meters have long been employed to measure the volume of water that is taken from a source and supplied to a residence or business by way of a water service pipe line. The water meters that have theretofor been coupled to a water service pipe line are typically manufactured with a metallic body. Because the process for manufacturing a water meter is not exact, all of the metallic water meter bodies may not be identical.
In this regard, the manufacturer of the water meter has no readily available or easy means to control or adjust the flow path through the water meter body to compensate for the variations in manufacture from one water meter to another, More particularly, all of the gearing that affects the ability of the water meter to detect and read the water flow is located entirely in the register that sits above the body. If there is an irregularity in the manufacture of the water meter, the flow path through the body may be adversely affected to cause a non-linear (i.e. pulsating) water flow. In this case, there is little the manufacturer can do to smooth the water flow so as to avoid influencing the reading of the register. Consequently, some water meter registers may be undesirably susceptible to a non-linear water flow and provide readings which are not accurate. Inasmuch as large volumes of water can flow through a water meter over time, any erroneous readings by the register can lead to either significant overcharges to the water consumer or undercharges to the local municipality.
It would therefore be desirable to have an easy to use, adjustable means that can be set by the manufacturer of a water meter to cause a smooth, linear water flow through the flow path in the body of the meter to assure that the water meter register provides an accurate reading of the water that is consumed.
In general terms, a water meter is disclosed having a hollow metallic body, an inlet port to be coupled to a water service pipe line that communicates with a source of water from a local government utility, and an outlet port to be coupled to a water pipe of an end user. Located within the hollow body between the inlet and outlet ports of the water meter is a turbine. A conventional register is seated on top of the water meter. The register cooperates with the turbine to respond to and provide a visual indication of the volume of water flowing through the water meter from the source to the user. The turbine located within the hollow body of the water meter includes a cup-shaped base. Projecting upwardly from the base of the turbine is a rotor shaft, and a rotor having a series of radially projecting propeller blades is coupled to and rotatable around the rotor shaft. A series of entrance slits or passages are formed through opposite sides of the base of the turbine so as to deliver water from the inlet port to the rotor to cause the propeller blades thereof to rotate. A variable water inlet orifice is forced through the bottom of the turbine base, whereby water from the inlet port is also delivered to the rotor. A series of fins project from the turbine base to surround the rotor. The fins are angled so as to insure a proper rotation of the propeller blades in response to water delivered from the inlet port. A cap is mated to the turbine base to complete the turbine assembly with the rotor supported on the rotor shaft between the cap and the base. A protrusion is formed on the turbine cap to be received by a positioning notch within the hollow body of the water meter. The turbine is properly oriented within the hollow body of the water meter relative to the inlet and outlet ports thereof when the protrusion of the turbine cap is located in the positioning notch.
In accordance with the present invention, flow control means are carried by the turbine to control the rate at which water strikes the propeller blades of the rotor via the flow passages through the opposite sides of the turbine base the variable water inlet orifice through the bottom of the turbine base. The position of the flow passages and the size of the variable water inlet orifice are adjusted until a smooth, linear (i.e. non-pulsating) stream of water is directed from the inlet port to the rotor to enable manufacturers to compensate for irregularities in the manufacture of the water meter which could adversely affect the reading of the register. More particularly, a locating pin projects upwardly from one of the fins on the turbine base that surrounds the rotor. The turbine cap is rotated relative to the turbine base so that the locating pins is received through one of a series of indexing holes formed through the cap. Accordingly, when the turbine is oriented within the body of the water meter, the alignment of the flow passages through the turbine base can be selectively adjusted relative to the inlet orifice depending upon the particular indexing holes in which the locating pin is received. In this same regard, a flow regulator is attached to the bottom of the turbine base by which the size of the variable water inlet orifice can be selectively adjusted. The flow regulator includes a finger tab that is manually manipulated to position the flow regulator to cover some or all of the variable water inlet orifice. The position adjustable flow passages and the size adjustable water inlet orifice cooperate with one another so that the water meter can be fine tuned to achieve a linear water flow through the turbine and an accurate reading by the register.